


I didn't know I needed you until you needed me

by SkyeHoltz



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Crossover, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, MariBat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:40:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26208826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyeHoltz/pseuds/SkyeHoltz
Summary: Nothing hurts more than having the one who was supposed to love you - who was supposed to be there for you in your time of need - and you, him, abandon you.Damian Wayne turned his back on Marinette, his soulmate, his destined. At the time, he had thought he had been protecting her from the cruel ways of the League - From his grandfather and mother.Oh, how wrong he was. He only made matters worse.Now, there is a threat far greater than anyone could imagine. To make matters worse, they're after the Miraculous.This time around, Damon is determined to help Marinette Dupain-Cheng in any way he can.~This is an MLB x DC au. So I'm saying this right now, dl;dr, don't like, don't read.Maribat soulmate AU, I'm reposting this here from my Tumblr acc, @ 18-fandoms-unite-08
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Jonathan Kent, Bridgette/Félix (Miraculous Ladybug PV), Luka Couffaine/Roy Harper, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Comments: 9
Kudos: 131





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m really sorry. I kinda got carried away with this one. This is my first ever take on a soulmate au.

Soulmates. The universe has known of them since the dawn of time. There were two types of soulmate connections.

One of them was that soulmates would seemingly switch souls randomly from time to time, although the switching would start just as both ages of the pair were suitable enough. That being, when the youngest of the pair turned eight-years-old.

The other connection being that any injuries required from any one of them would appear on the other pair as a faint bruise. Though, the _pain_ however would be the same as the _original injury._

People having _both_ of them was practically unheard of, but not impossible.

So when Marinette found out that she was _one of those_ few rare people, to say she was ecstatic was an understatement.

But all of that soon came crashing down as her soulmate, her other _half, her equal in every way possible,_ seemingly didn’t want a goddamn thing to do with her. Even going so far as to actively ignore any attempts she had made to communicate with them.

After that fact was confirmed, she decided to not cause her soulmate the trouble of feeling her pain and living in her body occasionally.

So she pushed it.

With all her strength, every single moment when she felt that familiar tug in her mind that usually brought a euphoric sense soaring through her heart. She pushed it. She resisted it. She couldn’t- _she_ _wouldn’t ever be a burden._

Adding to that stress, it didn’t help that the class had stabbed metaphorical daggers in her back all year long. All because of some false hope from some liar. And to top it all off, she needed to have a clear mind while carrying her duty as ladybug seeing that Chat, or rather Adrien had to retire because Gabriel had thought it fit to send his son off to boarding school in London.

So she was completely, utterly, _devastatingly,_ alone.

And for that was what brought her over the cliff of the breaking point. For that was what cost her enemy an opening strike with which they took.

She had been completely distracted while fighting an akuma, and when the blow came, she could not bring herself to hold on to the life she had.

~

Don’t get him wrong. It wasn’t that Damian hadn’t wanted a soulmate.

It was just, from the day he had learned of them, he had been taught in the league that they were a mere distraction. An utter burden and risk for assassins. His mother had even had the gall to implement that in the League of Assassins initiation training. Each member was required to _hunt down_ and _kill_ their _soulmate._

So from that day on, he had hidden the fact that he even had a soulmate connection from everyone.

His habits had run too deep however when he still didn’t trust anyone while in the care of his father. It didn’t help that Damian’s life would always be full of danger and enemies. So, at the time, the best course of action was to _ignore his soulmate bond._

_Oh how stupid he was._

Damian would later come to regret his decision _tremendously._

~

It had started like any normal patrol, him going off with his father on their normal route. Taking down petty criminals. Scouting the area for any suspicious activity. That sort of stuff.

Out of nowhere, he was suddenly hit with an instinct to tug on the soulmate bond and activate the switch. The last time they had switched was so long ago that Damian almost hadn’t recognised the feeling.

But he had ignored it and carried on as if nothing was happening while a war was raging between conscious and subconscious.

In the Batcave, a few hours later while changing out of his robin suit, he felt a sharp excruciating pain close to his heart and saw, to his horror, a bruise.

Another wave of pain ran through him and he doubled over. He could distinctly hear a voice ~~calling~~ _shouting_ his name but he couldn’t place who it belonged to.

“Damian!!”

Cries of concern, of worry. Footsteps rushing towards him. His last thought was,

_Oh no,_

Before he blacked out.


	2. Part 2

He was worried for his son. Ever since Damian woke up from his three-month coma, he was spending every minute of his living breathing time that he could spare in the Batcave. What he was doing, his son had told no one. 

All anyone knew was Damian had turned into a completely different person after he woke up. 

The weird thing was, any injury he had at the time couldn’t have caused that long of a coma. 

_So what had actually caused it?_

~

_Fingers twitching._

_Trying to move._

_Why can’t she move them?_ She thought, panicking. 

Just then, her eyelids open. _Where was she?_

She whipped around. Looking at her surroundings. Except, there was nothing to look at besides endless black colours and glittering stars. 

Suddenly, she realized she was… _floating?_

A sudden burst of pain erupted near her heart. 

_Was she dead?_

A voice whispered, soft but seemingly coming from all around her. 

_Stay_

_Stay_

_Stay_

  


Then it changed to, 

_Don’t leave me_

_Don’t leave me_

_Don’t leave me_

  


Then, 

_I’m sorry_

_I’m sorry_

_I’m sorry_

A sudden realisation had hit her. She was alive, yet not. She was in the in-between place. The Astral Dimension. 

Her soulmate was tethering her soul to his body. The sole reason she was alive. _But how?_

Only soulmates with extremely strong bonds could do that. For if it was not possible, the death of one half of the soulmates with strong bonds would cause the death of the other. 

But her soulmate had avoided her. They hadn’t _wanted her._ They hadn’t been there when she needed them the most. 

And now all she could think of was, 

_She had **wanted** to die. _

~

Damian was tired. Physically and emotionally. He blames himself for everything that happened. 

His soulmate willingly taking a fatal hit, willingly _wanting to die. No one_ should have those dark thoughts.No one _deserved_ to think like that. Especially her. 

She of all people did not deserve to die. So when Damian went under, he focused on their bond and _pulled._

Stopping her soul in the Astral dimension. 

He vowed to himself he would fix everything. He would pick up the pieces and he would fix them as best he could.

The problem was however, he _couldn’t find_ his soulmates body. It seemingly just, disappeared from Any records. 

According to his research, Marinette had never been admitted into any medical facility. 

_So where was she?_

He only hoped that she was somewhere safe. 

~

Meanwhile in Tibet, a young woman in her late teens was being tended to her wounds. _Presumed dead to the world._


	3. Part 3

She scanned her surroundings, taking in everything and anything that could either be used for her gain, or against her. 

“On my mark,” The man said. 

“ _Thalatha_.. ” The grip on her bow tightened. 

“ _Athnan_.. ” She knocked in an arrow and aimed. 

_“Wahid!”_ The sound of the wind as the arrow sailed across the field was satisfying. It was even more satisfying when she heard a loud clang resonated through the open space. She grinned. 

“Your aim has improved much in these last few months.”

“ _Shukraan alsyd. ”_ Anyone could visibly see that she was beaming with joy. 

“I am glad to inform that your training is nearly complete.”

“Where does the council suggest the order be rebuilt?”

“We, of the council, have sensed great dark magic in the city of Gotham. We advise you to start there. There is also a past holder settled there. They have offered their guidance, should the need for it arises.”

“And when do I leave, _alsyd?”_

“Sunrise. In a weeks time.”

“Very well.”

~

Hushed voices could be heard from inside the room. For the untrained ears, they would not be able to have heard a word. However, to her, the conversation sounded as clear as glass. 

“Will you follow her to Gotham?” She voiced it as if already knowing the answer. 

“Unfortunately, this is where Nette’s path and I part. I still have matters to attend in the other-realm.” 

“I understand.”

At that, she stepped into the room. 

“You’re not going with me?” She asked both the occupants of the room, Félix and Kagami. 

They both looked at each other before Kagami sighed and looked at her. 

“Don’t get us wrong, we really want to go with you, Mari-Hime. It’s just… Mother wants me back in Japan. There is a family meeting. Fé… He has some… _matters_ to settle in you-know-where. ”

Mari nodded her head in understanding.

“Does the media believe what we told them that happened?”

“Well, some people didn’t take it to well. Mainly Jagged and your parents. Luka also. Other than that, the world believes you dead.”

“Good. Let’s leave it at that. Easier for me to rebuild the Order. I can’t keep living in the past” Marinette said. 

Though it would seem as if she was metaphorically speaking, it was true. Félix had the power to time-jump and had brought her and Kagami into the past. Specifically, twenty years back. When the Order was still thriving. (See notes at the end for an explanation) 

See, Félix was a past holder of old. Like, really _really old._ He was cursed to forever live on, witnessing those he loved die in front of him. The curse was brought as a side effect of abusing the magic of the rabbit miraculous. He had befriended Fu during his time finding a cure for the curse and had found out of Marinette through his last plea to help the girl before he died.

The reason Kagami was there too was that she had come to Marinette’s aid when Tikki asked for help when she was severely injured during that last akuma attack. It helped that the both of them could pass as twins, minus the eyes of course.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

“Marinette, it is time for your afternoon meditation.”

“Be there in a minute.”

With that she faced Félix and Kagami once more and wished them both well before she headed out.

~

It had been five months. _Five freaking months_ since the soulmate connection literally just _vanished_ from existence. Though if he concentrated hard enough, it would sort of appear, he was still worried. 

_What the hell happened to her?_

Damian was getting more worried as the days passed. Especially what he found during his search for his soulmate, Marinette. She was… proclaimed dead in Paris, though a body was never found. 

Though he knew Marinette was still very much alive, it left him to ponder _where_ she was and _what_ was going on. 

It was a week later when Damian finally sensed her again. 

~

Marinette looked out the window of the plane. She had boarded about two hours ago, already having said goodbye to Kagami in Paris and Félix before he went to the other-realm. 

Yes, she could have used Kaalki to get to Gotham, however, that wouldn’t be quite… _legal_ and she hadn’t wanted to cause any trouble. She was already in enough precaution since people technically thought her dead. 

From inside her coat pocket, she could feel the slight tightening embrace of Tikki. Subtly trying to comfort her holder and tell her that everything would be alright. 

Little did they both know that everything to come would be pretty… _chaotic._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Félix Culpa was a past holder and due to him abusing the time/rabbit miraculous he was cursed to watch his loved ones die in front of him while he lived on forever immortal. He was old friends with Fu.  
> Kagami is there cuz Tikki asked her to help and she told her mom she was training in Tibet with some legendary Swordsmen.


	4. Part 4

The only thing she could grasp hold of was the fact she was running. It was dark, probably in the late hours of the night and she was in the middle of the… woods? 

  


_What on earth was she doing out here?_

_  
_

She could fairly sense and _hear_ shuffling behind her. Possibly the someone that she was running from.

  


She could barely register anything before she tripped on her feet and landed on the hard, cold, ground.

  


She quickly turned around, meaning to get back up and start running, when she stared, shell shocked at who was chasing her.

  


Herself. 

  


And she was holding a goddamn _katana._ Just as she realized this, she noticed too late that it was aimed at her. She closed her eyes, awaiting the end. 

  


Seconds go by, but the final blow never came. She opened her eyes and noticed someone had intercepted the blow. A young man, about her age, lean built. And when he turned around to look at her, she saw the rarest shade of jade green eyes staring back at her. 

  


At their split-second distraction, both of them did not notice as the katana was raised before it struck the man right in the chest. 

  


~

Marinette jolted awake. A brief glance at the clock on her nightstand told her it was only 4 a.m. She tiredly rubbed her face with her hands. 

  


_Just another nightmare._

_  
_

One she had been constantly having. Always ending with the same thing, the jade-eyed man killed by herself.

  


_Well, might as well get ready for the day,_ she thought as she headed to the bathroom. 

  


Kwamii knows she has a busy day of commissions ahead of her. 

~

Damian was restless. Two weeks and the feeling still hasn’t dissipated. The feeling of having his soulmate both so close and far away from him. 

  


Upon coming out of his thoughts, he realized he had strayed from his normal patrol route. How he ended up in the fashion district was beyond him. 

  


Taking a quick look around of his surroundings, he took note that he was standing in front of a boutique. The sign above was written “MDC” in cursive. 

  


_Huh,_ he thought. _Haven’t heard of this one before. They must have only recently opened._

_  
_

As the thought subsided, another surfaced. He realized the boutique was attracting him somehow. Beckoning him closer. He suddenly had the urge to go knocking on the second-floor window. Luckily, his comms sounded at just the right second. 

  


“Robin, report back to the Batcave. B wants to do some briefing. ”

  


“Copy that, Nightwing. ETA, 5 minutes.”

~

His mind was reeling after the briefing. Just when he thought things couldn’t get anymore worrisome around here. He shouldn’t have even had his hopes up considering this was Gotham they were talking about. 

  


Everyone was currently seated at the briefing table, with the exception of Bruce, who was standing at the table, a crease between his brows, and Barbara and Alfred, who were busy by the monitors, ready to pull up info. 

  


“Recent reports have shown that crime in Gotham has decreased largely. Which has led us to assume that a) there’s a new vigilante in town, b) they’re hiding out or c) -”

  


“They’re regrouping and joining forces, planning a big attack. ”

  


“Yes, thank you, Tim. There are also rumours going around Gotham that a new Villain with magic abilities has been spotted. What those abilities are, we are not yet sure.”

  


“There have also been sightings of a figure in a skin-tight, black and red suit with a crop top hoodie and red and gold accents. Name: unknown. Abilities: she seems to have the power of luck, but we’re not quite sure of that yet. She also seems to be the one behind the tied up criminals. ”

  


“And what’s our course of action? ” Dick asked and Jason nodded, agreeing. 

  


“Yeah, are we going to go scouting for this new hero and recruit her, or are we going to wait until she shows up? Personally I’d like some action.” Jason said, smirking at the end. 

  


“The possible best choice would be to wait and see what her true intentions are. We don’t know if she’s just playing an act or if she really is a hero.” Damian answered, looking around the room. 

  


“Seconded. For now, everyone should get some rest. It’s getting late. Meeting dismissed.”


	5. Part 5

Marinette was not panicking. 

_Nope_ , no ma'am. It wasn’t like there was a very _very_ deep gash along her side. Oh no, she wasn’t losing _that_ much blood. 

Oh kwamii, what had she gotten herself into this time? 

So, rewind to a couple of hours ago. 

Marinette had just closed up her boutique for the day. Tired as she was, she was feeling rather productive. Turning to find her companion, she asked, 

“Tikki, would it be wise of me to go on patrol again, tonight?”

To which Tikki replied, “If you feel like it Marinette! Though, we do need to determine the source of the Lazarus pit’s dark aura around the city.”

“Alright then, tell Plagg we’re leaving in 5.”

Going upstairs, she waited by the window for the two kwamii to show up. 

“Alrighty, ” Said Plagg, gulping down one last piece of cheese. “Let’s make this quick. I have an appointment with another wheel of camembert later. ” 

Softly chuckling while Tikki slapped Plagg upside the head, she opened the window.

“You guys done?” 

With nods from the both of them, she checked to see if the ring was still on the chain around her neck before saying, “Spots on.”

She could feel the gentle caress of the night’s breeze. There was always such a peacefulness to running around this high up, jumping and occasionally, swinging from one roof to another. She loved it. The thrill of it all just gave her a sense of calmness. Something to ground her in the here and now. 

It felt weird, to be here. Enjoying herself. Never mind that she was still making sure all was normal. Maybe she should make a visit to her kitty soon. Kwamii knows it’s been so long. 

Deep in her thoughts, she almost didn’t hear the call of help coming from the alleyway below her. 

Stopping on the rooftop above, she crouched low, edging her way to the side, trying to assess the situation. She wasn’t dumb enough to go in blindly just because someone had desperately called for help. It could’ve been a trap for all she knew. 

This was Gotham they were talking about. 

But before she could do anything, she felt a presence behind her. She whipped around, immediately rising from her crouching position. 

However, she was but a few seconds too late to realise that there was something wrong with the air. 

_Hallucination gas_

_Should’ve known!_

She could barely register the press of the knife piercing her side just below her heart. 

Her attacker seemed to underestimate her strength after giving them blow. True, it could’ve proven fatal. Fortunately, she had a bit of an experience of getting wounds like this during her time in Tibet. She braced herself for the pain she knew she would feel and kicked around blindly in an attempt to buy some time and swung away with her yo-yo. Her free hand used to put pressure on the wound. 

As she was swinging, the only coherent thought she could form was that she really needed to call for help. 

Ladybug was exhausted. She landed on a roof and stopped, bending on her knees to catch her breath. She winced when her action put more strain on the stab wound. 

_Just a little bit further._

Preparing herself, she stumbled slightly before continuing on her way. 

Thoughts muddled from the blood she was losing, she didn’t stop to assess her surroundings before she realised she was on her knees, a random building nearby. 

She focused on her breathing. Trying her hardest to avoid passing out. That wouldn’t be too good. 

Unfortunately, she was losing too much blood and getting weak. 

Blacking out, the last thing she saw in her blurry vision was a man running up to her. 


	6. Part 6

As soon as he reached her, her transformation dropped and Tikki and Plagg came flying out. 

“You’re Duusu’s right? Quick! She’s already lost a lot of blood.”

The man quickly nodded, understanding the situation right away.

The man picks her up, taking great caution as to not irritate her wounds.

Hurrying over to the building nearby, the man heads inside, only to be met with a familiar-looking man with blue eyes.

He glances over and follows.

“Alfred, what’s going on?!”

“Apologies Master Bruce. But we have no time for questions. Is there anyone in the Batcave? ”

“No, all the boys are out.”

“Perfect. Could you get there as fast as you can and ready the med bay?”

He looks to Alfred then to the girl in his arms. Just as he was opening his mouth to ask why, his eyes widened upon noticing the blood and the wound.

He nods and hurries on.

“Hang in there Miss Marinette.”

They quickly rushed to the med bay and Alfred gently placed the girl down on one of the operating tables.

Lifting up her shirt, his brows furrowed as he examines the deep gash.

_This might take a while._

_~_

Bruce was worried. Worried for the young woman that lay before him.

For some odd reason, he had felt a certain familiarity with her. Like he knew her from somewhere. But he just couldn’t, for the life of him, place just where he had seen the blue-eyed girl.

Yet, on top of all that worry, was also curiosity. Curiousness and also weariness. Curious as to how she had come to attire the wound. Weary because of the fact that the young woman had such an aura of power that could rival even Diana.

He did not know what to think of her.

Was she a threat?

No, she couldn’t be. Alfred was so attentive to her, as if he somehow knew who she was and was tasked to help her.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sudden gasp coming from the, now, awakened girl.

~

  
_The sole thought that rang through her mind was the thought that, if she had gotten hurt, her soulmate must have felt it too._

_Just when she had said she didn’t want to trouble anyone, she gets into this mess._

_Oh, I hope he’s okay._

_Suddenly, words rang in her head, words that were not her own._

_You are hurt_

_Are you okay?_

Her soulmate.

_Deciding against worrying them even further, she just replied with,_

_Just a little cut is all._

And with that she awoke with a gasp.

Assessing her surroundings, she took notice of a man sitting by her bedside, expression filled with concern.

“Are you alright?”

Suddenly, the night’s events came back to her and she glanced down at the place where her wound should be.

The man followed where her eyes trailed.

With gentleness only she could muster, she lifted up her shirt and brushed her fingers over the now stitched up wound.

Glancing back up at the man, she had suddenly gotten this sense of familiarity with him.

His eyes widened. Seemingly coming to a sudden realization.

“Marinette?”

Her eyes also widened in surprise.

“Bruce?”

_What a small place this world could be._

~

After getting over their initial shock at seeing each other after so long - for Bruce anyway - they both embrace each other in a death grip, somehow afraid that the other was not truly here, in front of them.

Pulling away, both with joyous smiles on their faces, eyes alight with pure mirth and happiness.

Bruce was the first to break the peaceful silence.

“I never thought I’d see you again after… Tibet.” His smile widens, “You haven’t aged a day. ” At this, he raises his eyebrows intending his statement as a silent query.

A small laugh escapes Marinette’s mouth, before she replies, “Ahh, that. Well, you see. Remember when I had told you about the Miraculous and how it was my sole duty to protect them?” She looks up at him to see his face filled with curiosity and his attention fixated on what she was explaining.

He nods his head - which, to be exact, was not quite a nod. Just a slight tilt of his head.

“I didn’t exactly belong there.” At his questioning look, she adds, “In that time period if we’re being specific.”

His eyes hold a sudden realisation in them. “You used one of the Miraculous to travel back in time, and then came back here, to this time period? Now is where you were born?”

With a nod of her head, and a smile on her lips, he continues, “I’m wondering, how long has it been for you? Since we last met that is. ”

“A couple of months.”

“Ahh, that explains it.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Master Bruce, I’m afraid your sons are beginning to wonder where you are. I suggest you go and check on them.” At Bruce’s look of protest, Alfred continues, “I assure you, Miss Marinette will be well taken care of and you two may catch up later, after the issue is resolved.”

Knowing there was no room for argument, Bruce left, glancing once at Marinette to see her nod, reassuring him that she would be fine.

Once he was well out of earshot, Alfred turned to her.

“Now, I assume there are certain matters we must discuss.”


End file.
